Angela Rayner steps down amid stamp duty controversy

Angela Rayner has resigned from her position as deputy prime minister and housing secretary following stamp duty scandal in which she failed to pay stamp duty on her luxury seaside home in Hove.

The decision came on the heels of an investigation conducted by the government’s ethics adviser into her stamp duty underpayment.

In an interview with Sky News’ political editors, Beth Rigby, Ms Rayner admitted her mistake not to pay enough text on the second home.

"I'm devastated because I've always upheld the rules and always have done," she said, adding she would refer herself to the ministerial standards watchdog. "I made a mistake based upon the advice that I relied upon that I received at the time," Rayner said.

After the scandal, Kemi Badenoch has asked Sir Keir Starmer to sack Angela Rayner on the grounds of an underpaid tax scandal.

Sir Keir’s spokesman has disclosed the prime minister had received a report on whether she had infringed the ministerial code or not from his advisor, Sir Lauie Magnus.

In her resignation letter, Ms Rayner talked about the pain that her children experienced during the tax scandal. Moreover, she regrets her decision not to seek tax advice on her second home.

Ms Rayner’s departure has put the position and authority of Sir Keir Starmer in jeopardy. Moreover, the resignation also wreaks havoc on Labour government when it is already behind Reform UK in the polls.